Two jailed following fatal collision

Two men have been jailed for a total of 14 years following a fatal collision on the A143 at Earsham last year.

Marcin Jablonski, age 44, of Mutfordwood Lane, Carlton Colville, Suffolk, and his son Thomaz Urbaniak, age 26, of All Saints Road, Newmarket, Suffolk, appeared at Norwich Crown Court today (Monday 25 March 2024) following the fatal collision on the A143 at Earsham on 13 August 2023.

Jablonski was jailed for 11 years and disqualified from driving for 13 years and ordered to take an extended driving test. He also received a 12-months' custodial sentence for a previous offence - unconnected to this incident -  for which he  originally received a suspended sentence. In total, today he received a 12-year jail term. He pleaded guilty to the following charges at a hearing in September last year:

• Causing death by dangerous driving
• Causing death while driving with no insurance
• Causing death while driving disqualified
• Aggravated vehicle taking
• Criminal damage

Urbaniak, who had pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking and burglary at a hearing in January this year, was jailed for two years and disqualified from driving for two years.

The court heard how the stolen Land Rover Defender – driven by Jablonski – had failed to stop for police earlier in the day and was being pursued by police and the National Police Air Service helicopter along the A143 before the fatal collision.

Police vehicle dashcam and aerial footage showed the vehicle turn off the road at Earsham and drive through a field of 6ft maize to evade the police.

Eventually, Jablonski and Urbaniak re-emerged onto the A143, this time heading towards Bungay, when Jablonski lost control of the Land Rover and crashed into a Nissan Juke car travelling in the opposite direction, near Old Harleston Road in Earsham.

Sadly, the female driver of the Nissan Juke – later named as 28-year-old Aisatou Mballow-Baldeh – died at the scene.

Analysis of Jablonski’s urine showed he was at least twice the legal drink drive limit – his sample provided a range of between 273 to 461 milligrams of alcohol (per 100 millilitres of urine) when the legal drink drive limit is 107 milligrams.

During the investigation, detectives discovered the keys to the Land Rover Defender had been stolen during a burglary at a flooring business in Newmarket in the early hours of Friday 11 August 2023, together with jewellery, handbags, alcohol, and a computer terminal.

Forensic analysis of the burglary scene confirmed Urbaniak’s DNA on a kitchen window – the point of entry for the burglary - and CCTV footage showed one of the suspects dressed in black shorts and a hooded top, and wearing a distinctive pair of gloves with a strap across the back of the hand. Urbaniak was dressed in the same clothes immediately following the fatal collision. Keys to a lorry linked to the burglary were also found in the pocket of Urbaniak's hooded top.

Police believe that Jablonski and Urbaniak returned to the burglary scene with the stolen Land Rover Defender keys sometime on Sunday 13 August with the intention of stealing the vehicle. Once they had the vehicle, they travelled along the A143.

The police investigation into the collision confirmed the weather and road conditions were clear and fine. An examination of the Land Rover found the vehicle has suffered extensive damage before the collision; damage so significant it led to a complete and catastrophic failure of the vehicle’s offside front steering and inbuilt computer.

Det Insp David McCormack of Norfolk Police, who led the investigation, said: “It’s impossible to put into words the truly awful impact of this tragedy, and our thoughts remain with Mrs Mballow-Baldeh’s husband, family, and friends.

“Jablonski and Urbaniak’s decision to drive on that day, drive a stolen vehicle and drive so recklessly without a second thought for anyone else who happened to be on that road at the same time, just going about their day-to-day business, is heartbreaking. They had every opportunity to stop and they chose not to, and that decision had devastating consequences and caused terrible suffering that was wholly avoidable.”

The incident was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, as is standard procedure. The IOPC is conducting an independent investigation into the incident.